Did you know

Reporters Without Borders said in it’s 2005 special report titled “Xinhua: the world’s biggest propaganda agency”, that “Xinhua remains the voice of the sole party”, “particularly during the SARS epidemic, Xinhua has for last few months been putting out news reports embarrassing to the government, but they are designed to fool the international community, since they are not published in Chinese.”

UN Protestors Highlight China’s Forced House Eviction Problem

[Chen Xuxing, Forced Eviction Victim]:
“This is a photo of my house. It had 4 floors and was close to 500 square meters.”

Chen Xuxing’s house is gone. A local real estate developer in Wuhan wanted to use his land to build a park, but Mr. Chen didn’t agree. So the company forced him out of him home—and then demolished it.

It’s known as forced eviction, and in China, it’s one of the most serious problems facing the country today. Developers, often working with local officials, have rushed to cash in on a real estate boom. Often, it involves driving residents off desirable land.

Residents have little legal protection—even when companies do illegal things to force them out.
[Chen Xuxing, Forced Eviction Victim]:
“Because we didn’t reach an agreement, three days later they employed thugs to break into my house.”

This is video footage from the surveillance camera on Mr. Chen’s house.

[Chen Xuxing, Forced Eviction Victim]:
“Several dozen people came, thugs came to break down my door…After beating me in the house until my head was bleeding, they pulled me outside to beat me. They said they had taken me outside to beat me so the neighbors could see, and that whoever doesn’t move will end up like this.”

Mr. Chen was hospitalized for two months.

He shot this footage after leaving the hospital. His street is filled with the debris of demolished houses. This couple stands in the ruins of their home—torn down with all their belongings still inside. Other houses are marked with the word “demolish.”

Mr. Chen says the development company was colluding with local officials. When Mr. Chen was attacked, neighbors called the police, but they didn’t show up until the following afternoon. Local authorities also refused to listen to the residents’ protests.

According to the Asia Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch, this type of corruption is common in China.